Thursday, July 26, 2007

Sun Koh and his Crew

The Nazi pulp übermensch, Sun Koh did not travel alone. Like Doc Savage, Sun Koh had his own crew of aides. Their number changed from time to time, but I have been able to piece together some of the Aryan warrior types that assisted Sun Koh on his adventures.

Sun Koh : Six foot six, well muscled, blond haired, blue eyed, bronzed skinned, and highly intelligent, Sun Koh was the last prince of Atlantis sent forward in time to prepare for the return of the Lost Continent before the coming Ice Age. (So much for global warming!) He had a tattoo on his back and left side which depicted Atlantis. His powers were mirror images of Doc Savage's. Sun Koh was also a "Man of Destiny" who had incredible luck in everything he did. He also had a "Danger Sense" that gave him a premonition of any threat to his person. He usually wore Jodhpurs, calf-high boots, and a military shirt with epaulets and pleated buttoned down pockets.

Map of Atlantis

Ashanti Garuda: (aka "The Daughter of Kali") Ashanti is the mistress and chief assassin of Sun Koh. Her nick name is Shani. She is a true Aryan from India who has mastered all forms of Yoga, Ayurvedic/Unani/Siddha medicine, Indian Mysticism, Sorcery, Alchemy, Kalaripayit, Marma Adi, Silambam, Varma Kalari, and other Indian martial arts. Her true age is unknown but she appears to be in her twenties thanks to her Ayurvedic Elixir of Life. She is a devotee of Kali and of the Left Hand Path of Tantra who has vowed eternal hatred on the British for oppressing her people. The six powers granted to her by Kali are pacifying (glamour, seduction), subjugating (hypnosis, sexual obsession), paralysing (pressure points), obstructing (grappling and throws), driving away (breaking kicks and punches), and death-dealing (strangulation, death blows, death points). Ashanti has a berserker attack that uses all four extremities and her head which is utterly devastating. She wears different colored Spider-web silk Saris that are light and airy and do not impede her leg movements but which can stop a pistol bullet or a knife. She has a blood red oval tikala mark on her forehead with a golden Swastika in the middle to honor Kali. She also has 12 swastikas tattooed on her body to protect her from harm (i.e., on the soles of her feet, the palms of her hands, inside of her thighs, the inner side of her arms, the outsides of her buttocks, and the lateral sides of her breasts). She has a pet miniature Golden Spitting Cobra with green eyes named Shakti that she wears as a bracelet entwined around her right upper arm or forearm. The snake remains still and appears to be just a bracelet until Shani awakens it. The snake can spit venom precisely from a dozen feet away on Ashanti's command to temporarliy blind an opponent. It's bite though is quite deadly.

Alaska-Jim : Jim Hoover, aka "Alaska-Jim," was a hunter and trapper in the Old West who also worked for the Canadian police. He was an associate of Sun Koh and was known for his riding, roping, and shooting skills. Jim was a giant mountain man with the ferocity and fighting prowess of Jeremiah Johnson. He was a Canadian of German descent who lived in the Yukon. He was one of the first of Sun Koh's associates. Jim always dressed in furs or Buckskins and wore a coonskin cap with a striped tail.

Jan Mayen : Jan Mayen was a detective-inventor-adventurer who flew around the world in an atomic-powered aircraft. He had adventures on every continent. He was like Captain Nemo in having advanced technology at his finger tips. He dressed in the uniform of an airplane captain with a round service cap.

Sturmvögel : (Storm Bird) Rudolf Rauhaar, aka Rolf Kraft, aka Sturmvögel was an associate of Alaska-Jim. Sturmvögel was seven feet tall and a well trained paratrooper, commando, and soldier in the manner of Rambo. While he had many adventures in the American and Canadian west, he also could handle himself in Jungle and desert terrain. He combined stealth with strength, speed, and lethality. He usually wore black fatigues and combat boots with either a German infantry helmet or an alpine military hat. He was the quintessential Storm Trooper.

Rolf Karsten : Rolf Karsten was a consulting detective and was known as , der Schrecken der Berliner Unterwelt (The Terror of the Berlin Underworld) or Schreck for short.. This was a private detective with edge who could match wits with urban criminals and who had no limits to what he would do to solve a case. Good with his fists and fast with a gun or a knife. Also an astute judge of human nature and human vices. He wore cheap suits with a small brimmed hat and was constantly smoking a cigarette. Sun Koh eventually used hypnosis on him to get him to quit smoking.

Minx : Ludwig Minx was a man of mystery: a ghost hunter, ghost breaker, and professional magician who usually wore a Top Hat, a tuxedo, a collared cape, a large wand/cane, and a goatee. He not only dealt with fantastic mysteries but more mundane ones as well. He possessed a wide range of mental powers, including hypnosis, telepathy, psychometry, and levitation. He was an expert in all forms of prestidigitation, and there was no phenomenon of somnambulism, of telepathy, of `telepsychics,' of levitation, hypnotism, magnetism, suggestion, and autosuggestion that was beyond him. He was trained by the adepts of the Agartha, the lost Aryan civilization residing inside the Hollow Earth and a member of the Thule Society. He was very much like the Shadow, Mandrake the Magician, and the Spider all rolled into one.

You will notice that none of these folks has a PhD or any constructive day job. They were all people of action, prone to violence, and having few moral limits.

4 comments:

In reading of these group of people that worked with Sun Koh, most of them sound like characters who could hold their own as pulp style characters in their own right without Sun Koh, unlike Doc's crew, none of which IMO could have carries a story by themselves.

Where these character who had their own series, but then added on to Sun Koh?

Most of the team-ups were stand alone characters. Ashanti is based on a RPG character created to be a match for Sun Koh. She was such a great idea (a REAL Aryan, not one of these Germanic types) that I had to use her.

The other characters were from Jess Nevin's website of foreign pulp characters under German Heroes:

http://www.geocities.com/jjnevins/pulpsg.html

Your assessment of the covers is correct. The original german pulp covers were not in full color. You can see some other examples of those covers here:

I'm at last getting around to reading your Sun Koh stuff for two reasons: One, I've got a whole lot of stuff backed up that I keep promising I'm going to read and I'm taking a few days to go through all of it, starting with your stories. Two, Josh Reynolds and I have a joint project in mind that involves Sun Koh but I'll let Josh tell you about that (if he hasn't already)

The thing I took away from HOW ART THOU FALLEN is that Sun Koh is a supremely capable and advnaced individual of amazing peception and intelligence. At yet, he's not the mover and shaker of the story. It's as if he's standing in the center of a swirl of activity brought about by his showing up and letting everybody come to him.

You make it pretty clear what Sun Koh's mission is and why he's where he's supposed to be and what he hopes to accomplish but as yet it's not clear as to how he's going to achieve it. The cast of characters who show up to spirit Sun Koh away to Germany are interesting in their own right and have enough snap to have stories about them written, especially Shani. It's kinda hard to top a beautiful secret agent who is able to tame live poisonous snakes to the extent she can wear them as jewelry and wears dresses made of bulletproof spider silk. Pretty daggone cool, if you ask me.

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Sun Koh: Heir of Atlantis

Sun Koh: Heir of Atlantis

The Collected Stories of Sun Koh: Heir of Atlantis, Volume 1

For the first time in his own volume, Sun Koh, Heir of Atlantis! The original German pulp hero from the 1930s is reimagined for the 21st Century. Now, in one volume we have the trilogy of stories that depict his origin and that of his loyal crew. We also have 2 NEW stories that have never been published in any form.

As Far as the East is from the West- A degenerate being from a lost race offers the secret of nuclear weapons to the British Government in exchange for a pardon for his monstrous crimes. Can Sun Koh stop this madman and prevent Britain from dominating the world?

The Triumph of the Will - During the Nazi party Congress in Nuremberg in August of 1934, German intelligence discovers a plot to assassinate the Fuehrer masterminded by an electronics wizard and his aging mentor. This plot puts the entire population of the city in danger! Can Sun Koh thwart this plot and save the half-million people of Nuremberg? Set on the back drop of the greatest political propaganda film ever made.

Don't miss the exciting adventures of Sun Koh: Heir of Atlantis from Age of Adventure!

Zine of Bronze #7

Zine of Bronze #7

The Perils of Patricia, Part 1

In the Zine of Bronze #7 is part 1 of a story about Patricia, a bronzed beauty who runs an exclusive women's spa in 1930s New York. Like her famous cousin, she has her share of adventures with quirky side-kicks and ominous villains.

In this story, a woman makes her way into Patricia's Spa seeking help pursued by an armed thug. She makes it safely but begins to transform right before Patricia's horrified eyes. This is just the beginning of a story of intrigue, horror, and romance for our heroine. But will she survive the perils that await her?

Read "The Perils of Patricia, Part 1" in the Zine of Bronze #7. get it today!

The Big Book of Bronze #2

A New Essay in "The Big Book of Bronze #2"

In conjunction with the 2009 Arizona Doc Savage Convention (DocCon XII), a new book of essays on Doc Savage related topics has just been published entitled The Big Book of Bronze #2. I have an essay in this volume entitled: The Doc Savage Journal: The Untold Story. The article reveals the story behind the first authorized Doc Savage story published after the final pulp magazine epic Up From Earth's Center. The story was Trail of Doomsday written by Lohr McKinstry in 1969 and published by Lynn Myers in his fanzine The Doc Savage Journal. The long lost story of this long forgotten publishing event is finally told!

There are several other fine essays in this book that no Doc Savage fan will want to miss!

Glimmerglass

A new short story in Glimmerglass Creative Writer's Annual

I have written a new short story for Volume 1 of Glimmerglass- The Creative Writer's Annual. It is entitled Destiny or Choice: Shall Any Valiant Act Gainsay Extinction? and is set in 1908 at an Archaeological meeting in St. Louis where a child prodigy confronts the image of an ancient evil.

There are several other great stories inthis issue by up and coming new authors. The Glimmerglass collection is available here:

Thrilling Adventures #140

Sun Koh returns in "Sit Thou at My Right Hand"

Fianlly available! The conclusion of the Sun Koh origin trilogy: "Sit Thou at My Right Hand". Sun Koh comes face to face with Hitler himself and takes his place in the new order of Germany. The Heir of Atlantis also meets the man who will become his arch-Nemesis. Thrill to the exciting adventures of Prince Sun Koh, Scion of Atlantis and Germany's Ubermensch.

Zine of Bronze #5

"Andy and Ted's Excellent Adventure" has been published!

This is the story of two men from very different backgrounds who met in the trenches in World War I and who formed an abiding friendship that lasted long after the war ended. They may seem very familiar to pulp fans especially those who follow the Doc Savage Saga. Along the way you will meet several figures from history and fiction that many of you will recognize. There will be excitement, adventure, danger, and humor along the way. This will be the story that true pulp fans will be talking about! Don't miss it!

The Book Cave

My interview about Sun Koh is featured on "The Book Cave" Podcast #4

Ric Croxton recently interviewed me on the fourth edition of his Podcast Show "The Book Cave" concerning the 1930s German Pulp hero, Sun Koh, and my recent reimagining of the character for a modern American audience. There were a few technical difficulties with the recording, but the program is both fun and informative. It also includes an exclusive revelation about the new Sun Koh that is not revealed anywhere else!

The Zine of Bronze #4

My story "Long Tom Robber" is now available!

My story "Long Tom Robber" is available now in issue #4 of The Zine of Bronze Published by Main Enterprises. During World War I, a young electronics inventor uses an old cannon to defend against a German attack. This is the first time that this story has ever been told. The cast of characters will include several who might seem familiar to pulp magazine fans.

Prof. Stone Magazine #2

The Saga of Sun Koh Continues!

The Professor Stone Adventure Magazine #2 presents the second part of the trilogy of the origin of Sun Koh, Heir of Atlantis. The story is entitled:

Thou Preparest a Table Before Me

Sun Koh and his crew seek the hidden legacy left to him by his father from the dying continent of Atlantis. The Aryan Ubermensch must battle monsters and the remnants of a lost race as he pursues his destiny. But can even he survive agaisnt these odds?

Prof. Stone #1

Sun Koh: The German Pulp Ubermensch Reimagined!

I have a new short story coming out in the premier issue of Professor Stone's Adventure Magazine in December, 2007 from http://www.lulu.com/content/1606962. It is the return of a German Pulp icon of the 1930s:

Sun Koh: the Heir to Atlantis in

How Art thou Fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer!This is the first of my three part story of Sun Koh's origin reimagined. Sun Koh was the German Pulp equivalent of Doc Savage. He was a gentically engineered superman sent forward in time from doomed Atlantis to become the King of a New World Order when the next Ice Age comes and the Lost Continent resurfaces. From 1933 to 1939 he had 150 published adventures. Thrill to the exciting adventures of Sun Koh! Coming in time for Christmas!

Zine of Bronze Issue #3

"His Last Hand" - a short story

I am proud to announce the publication of my short story "His Last Hand" in issue #3 of the Zine of Bronze published by Main Enterprises in October 2007. It is the story of a poker game played in Paris in 1918 by characters that you might find familiar. Please contact Jim Main at jmain44@aol.com for the details. Order your copy today!

Tales of La Plata

"The Supreme Adventurer" - Another short story

On 21 October 2007, the 2nd Annual La Plata Doc Con was in La Plata, Missouri, the birth place and hometown of Lester Dent who wrote The Doc Savage pulp stories. To celebrate this event, a fechschrift was published with tales about La Plata and its favorite son, Lester Dent. The title of the book will be: "Two-Fisted Tales of La Plata, Missouri". My own contribution to this collection was "The Supreme Adventurer", a short story about Lester Dent's childhood, his parents, his hometown, and what they have given to the world. Don't miss it! Contact Mark Lambert for details (marklambert@mchsi.com).

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About Me

Altar Boy, Cantor, Lector, Father, Husband, Soldier, Doctor, Writer, and Catholic Apologist.
My name is Arthur C. Sippo MD, MPH.
I am a physician board certified in Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Medicine. I served 12 years on active duty in the US Army as an Aerospace Medicine Specialist and Flight Surgeon. I spent 10 years in the Ohio Army National Guard and was the Assitant State Surgeon when I retired.
I currently have an occupational medicine practice in Highland, Illinois and work in the emergency rooms in Southern Illinois.
I have been married to my beautiful Katherine since 1987 and we have 5 children.

I have been an avid Doc Savage fan since 1965 when my Aunt Helen bought a copy of "The Land of Terror" for me to read on a bus trip. I was hooked immediately!
I have my Medical Degree from Vanderbilt and my Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. I chose Hopkins for my MPH because that was Doc's alma mater.

Doc Savage and his Crew

My Essay "Further Thoughts on the Doc Savage Chronology" on the Wold Newton Web Site